


Sleepsong

by PerfectlyHopeless



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Backstory, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 02:56:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4987423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerfectlyHopeless/pseuds/PerfectlyHopeless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From the beginning Melody had reached out to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleepsong

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing anything for these particular characters. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy~

* * *

 

The first time she did it he was confused. They’d only had a handful of conversations with each other, since she was still shy. But he didn’t question her with anything further than “What’s wrong?” It was a stupid question. He knew what was wrong. The nightmares had affected him as well but they’d not been horrible since the beginning. For Melody they were still fresh in her mind.

Melody had had nightmares shortly after escaping the carnage of Highever with Duncan. The sight of her young nephew dead on the floor next to his mother, the workers torn down by Howe’s men, the flames burning everything she had ever known and loved. The images had burned themselves into her memory, nightmares plaguing her as she and Duncan traveled south. The Warden had tried to be reassuring, but there was no way to tell her that things would get better. The moment she agreed to go with him she knew that things could only get worse before they had a chance to turn around.

After the Joining they only got worse. Instead of seeing her father dying in a pool of his own blood, she saw horrific monsters and heard horrible sounds that couldn't be compared to anything else. She woke up flailing the first time, crying out so loudly that her mabari and Alistair had come to check on her. Toast whimpered, knowing that something was wrong, while Alistair watched over her until she calmed down. He explained the situation to her, the way that Grey Wardens had visions and nightmares. Melody sat in silence, distracting herself with petting Toast's soft ears.

The next time she had nightmares, she reached out to Alistair. He was by the fire when she came out of her tent shaking. The sight of him seemed to bring her back to reality. She still trembled as she walked over to where he was sitting. Alistair had tried to smile and make light conversation to distract her, but she didn't listen. The moment that she sat beside him and leaned against his shoulder he stopped talking. Melody clung to his arm and he realized the toll the nightmares were taking on her.

"Hey," he started, shifting. Melody looked up at him, her deep brown eyes meeting his gaze. The fire light made them shine, distracting from the fact that the skin around them was red and puffy, as though she'd been crying. He took back his arm, wrapping it around her shoulders and holding her closer. Melody instantly latched onto him and began to cry.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, her voice raspy.

Alistair shook his head. "Don't worry about it, I know how unnerving it can be. Apparently it's worse for those who Join during a Blight."

Melody scoffed. "A little warning would have been nice, you know? 'Oh, by the way. You'll be linked to darkspawn and have an Archdemon in your head every night for the rest of your life'. I appreciate the notification."

"There are things we're not allowed to say, including what happens during and after the Joining," he reminded her.

"I understand," she said simply. She stared at the flames, watching the logs crackle and burn. She was silent for a while longer until she found herself drifting back to sleep. Melody pushed his arm away and stood up. "I... I'm sorry. I should go back."

Alistair nodded, keeping an eye on her while she went back to her tent. 

Melody's mabari went to her side when he noticed her return. Toast followed her into her tent, lying beside her bedroll. Smiling, she lied down and reached out to him. Her fingers teased with the velvety ears, the hound making a soft noise of approval.

 

* * *

 

The third time he immediately understood, holding her close and not saying anything.

The fourth time she fell asleep curled up in his lap and he didn't move the entire night for fear of waking her.

Time and time again Melody came to him for support. They eventually started sharing a tent so that he was readily available to her for support. That he loved her was an understatement. He adored her in words that didn't exist and she felt the same.

Her hands ran across his bare chest the night that they first made love in the tent, finding the scars of their time together. She kissed each one as his hands ran up and down her muscular torso. She was so small that he thought for a moment that he would break her. Melody was a noble, it was expected for her to not have had relations before. Alistair was raised in a Chantry. Neither of them were sure of what they were doing but they were still happy to enjoy the closeness.

Melody straddled him as she sat in his lap, color rising to her cheeks as she awkwardly slid down onto him and gasped at the sensation. Alistair cradled her cheek with one hand while she hooked her ankles behind him, his other helping her get into a more comfortable position. The two savored the moments, moving slow as they found their rhythm. Alistair eventually moved them so that Melody was lying on her back. He pressed into her and she let out a sweet moan, his name tangled on her tongue. His fingers carded through her cropped hair, mussing her soft brown locks. She encouraged him to do so, something about having her hair tugged with helping to put her over the edge. The two of them were left breathless as their movements lost their rhythm, the two of them longing for release. Alistair came first, continuing to pleasure his lover until she came as well. He watched as she arched her back, pressing into him.

"Maker, you are beautiful," he told her as he brushed her sweat damp locks away from her forehead. Melody blushed again, hiding her face in the crook of his neck as she tried to catch her breath. He moved her face to capture her lips in his, kissing her as he pulled out. She let out a tiny gasp against his mouth as he did so, her heart beat quickening for another moment before she relaxed on the bedroll. Alistair kissed her again, Melody mirroring his movements as he laid by her side, hands bringing her close to his chest. She sighed, content to be in his arms.

For the first time in months, the nightmares did not come.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it ^_^
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated, but never necessary~


End file.
